Skin diseases during pregnancy

Definition

Skin diseases during pregnancy include rashes, blistering, itching and pigment changes. Skin diseases during pregnancy can be either physiologically (naturally) occurring harmless skin changes or pathological (diseased) skin diseases.

Symptoms of physiological skin changes

  • Striae distensa: these stretch marks usually appear in the third trimester (trimenon), during maximum child growth. Overstrain causes overstretching and loosening of the connective tissue, especially in the abdomen and breast. You should start your daily care with careful massaging of moisturizers early.

Symptoms of pathological skin changes

  • Pruritus gravidarum, also called pregnancy scholestasis: this rare liver disease is accompanied by severe itching of the skin and pain in the upper abdomen. However, it does not cause a skin rash. The disease usually occurs towards the end of pregnancy.

    There is a congestion of bile acid in the small liver ducts, so that some patients develop a yellowing of the skin. A gynecologist should be consulted urgently, as in some cases a birth initiation is necessary to protect the baby from the toxic effect of bile acid!

  • Polymorphic pregnancy dermatosis: in the last weeks of pregnancy, usually only around the birth date, itchy nodules on the belly and buttocks can occur, which can also spread to the legs. The face and upper body are usually left out.

    The cause of the pregnancy dermatosis is unknown. However, this rash is not dangerous for the child.

  • Pemphigoid gestationis: this is a very rare skin disease during pregnancy, which causes blistering and severe itching. It is caused by antibodies directed against the body. Cortisone is given. The child may also have individual blisters at birth, but these do not need to be treated as they subside by themselves.

Infectious diseases of the mother

Existing skin diseases of the mother can worsen during pregnancy, for example herpes infections, HIV infections, fungal diseases. The reason for this is that the immune system of expectant mothers is slightly subdued. Rubella, chickenpox, lues (syphilis) are diseases with skin infestation. If the mother suffers from them during pregnancy, the probability of malformations of the child or a premature birth is very high! For this reason, laboratory tests for antibodies against rubella and syphilis are performed as part of prenatal care.